William Schweiker
· Clinical Professor of TheologyUniversity of Chicago · Divinity School
Active 1968–2026
About
William Schweiker is the Edward L. Ryerson Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Theological Ethics at The University of Chicago Divinity School. He was interviewed by CBS News regarding the Catholic response to an AI-generated image depicting President Donald Trump as a Jesus-like figure, situating the controversy within a broader tradition of Catholic political engagement. Schweiker noted that the Pope is exercising the Magisterium, the teaching ministry of the church, to guide Christians in understanding what it means to follow the Prince of Peace. His work involves exploring the intersection of religion, ethics, and contemporary issues, contributing to the understanding of how religious traditions respond to modern technological and social challenges.
Research topics
- Psychology
- Computer Science
- Medical education
- Clinical psychology
- Psychotherapist
- Engineering
- Philosophy
- Epistemology
- Psychoanalysis
- Medicine
- Environmental ethics
- Engineering ethics
Selected publications
“CONSCIENCE AND THE ENDS OF HUMANITY: CHRISTIAN HUMANISM AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE”
Modern Theology · 2026-01-28
articleOpen access1st authorCorrespondingAbstract The astonishing speed of the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has sparked reflections by theologians and philosophers on what distinctiveness, if any, human beings possess as individuals and as a species. This article addresses this question with respect to an ancient idea in Christian thought reaching back to St. Paul and examined again and again throughout history, namely, human conscience. While sometimes criticized as a tyrannous force in the human psyche, a mere product of social forces of race and class, or a horrific form of self‐torture, many Christian and non‐ Christian thinkers continue to examine conscience as a clue to the meaning of being human. This essay continues that examination in the light of the question of human ends and whether AI signals the end of humanity as we know and experience it. Further, the essay is written from the perspective of a robust Christian Humanism dedicated to the integrity of human life while acknowledging that human beings are technological as well as biological, social, and religious beings.
Which Criticism and Whose Humanism?
2024-01-01
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingAcademic Medicine · 2023 · 2 citations
Senior authorCorresponding- Medical education
- Psychology
- Medicine
PURPOSE: To explore distress in the medical profession and how it was highlighted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The term "orientational distress" was developed to name the experience of a breakdown in the patterns of moral self-understanding and one's capacity to navigate professional responsibilities. METHOD: The Enhancing Life Research Laboratory at the University of Chicago convened a 5-session online workshop (total 10 hours, May-June 2021) to explore orientational distress and to promote collaboration between academics and physicians. Sixteen participants from Canada, Germany, Israel, and the United States engaged in discussions of the conceptual framework and toolkit to address orientational distress within institutional settings. The tools included 5 dimensions of life, 12 dynamics of life, and the role of counterworlds. Follow-up narrative interviews were transcribed and coded using a consensus-based iterative process. RESULTS: Participants reported that the concept of orientational distress helped explain their professional experiences better than burnout or moral distress. Moreover, participants strongly endorsed the project's supporting thesis that collaborative work on orientational distress and the tools provided in the research laboratory had a specific intrinsic value and provided benefits not found in other support instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Orientational distress compromises medical professionals and threatens the medical system. Next steps include the dissemination of materials from the Enhancing Life Research Laboratory to more medical professionals and medical schools. In contrast to burnout and moral injury, the concept of orientational distress may better enable clinicians to understand and more fruitfully navigate the challenges of their professional situations.
2023-01-01
other1st authorCorrespondingEncyclopedia of Religious Ethics · 2022-06-20 · 1 citations
other1st authorCorrespondingEncyclopedia of Religious Ethics · 2022-06-20
other1st authorCorrespondingEvidence of Things Unseen: John Wesley’s Hermeneutics of Conscience
2022-11-23
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingEncyclopedia of Religious Ethics · 2022-06-20
other1st authorCorrespondingTheologian, Teacher, and Friend: Tributes to James M. Gustafson
Journal of Religious Ethics · 2022-03-01 · 1 citations
articleAbstract James M. Gustafson, who died in 2021, has influenced generations of theologians and ethicists. In this article, five students, colleagues, and friends provide short reflections on what Gustafson has meant for their work as scholars of theology and religious ethics.
Encyclopedia of Religious Ethics · 2022-06-20
other1st authorCorresponding
Frequent coauthors
- 4 shared
T. B. Steck
University of Chicago
- 4 shared
John G. Schroedel
University of Divinity
- 4 shared
Peter R. Crane
Yale University
- 4 shared
Rob Saler
University of Divinity
- 4 shared
Stuart A. Newman
New York Medical College
- 4 shared
Michael Hogue
University of Divinity
- 4 shared
J Ronald
University of Chicago
- 4 shared
Karin D. Knorr-Cetina
University of Chicago
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